If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

M1 + Para Di vs M1A + Para Di

Hello,

I am planing to buy one of these combinations and I just wonder if there is any difference in sound between them.
I heared that both the M1 and the M1A work well with the Para Di.
But does the additional preamp of the M1A really not effect the sound anymore when put infront of the Para Di?

Why not consider an M80? I have an M1A and a para di and they sound good together. The M80 gives u both active and passive mode and a battery indicator. I know they r a little pricer but I think it's worth the extra. Not knowing the state of your battery is a pain. If it goes dead during a show you better have a screw driver and a spare on hand (your not gonna find one of these batts at your local stop and shave!) Also baggs claims an improvement on the sound. My M1A sounds good but still has a bit of that magnetic ring to it. Not the truest tone (ive recent become very fond of the ibeam for that) but definatly my first choice for loud stage environments and my vintage guitars i refuse to modify. If the M80 reduces the magnetic sound even slightly it's an improvement well worth paying a little extra for! Let us know what u end up going with and your final thoughts!

The answer to your original question is mainly about signal-to-noise ratio but also depends on how long of a lead you would use between each pickup and the Para DI. For the passive M1, we recommend a 10-12 foot cable for its expected effect on the magnetic signal's tone. The M1A, because its signal is buffered by the internal preamp, is not subject to the same affect on its tone imposed by the cable's capacitance.

If you were to compare the M1 to the M1A, connected to the Para DI with the same 10-12 foot cable and the same EQ settings, the M1A would give a hotter and slightly cleaner signal due to the gain boost of +12dB from the mini preamp inside the M1A.